WORLD 10/10/1998 - 2338 Bhakta ROOPA
USA (VNN) - by Raghunatha Anudas
Haribol! You may know me from guru-kula. ROOPA is my latest project and is something akin to a following up to the guru-kula newsletters and reunions I started about 10 years ago. I present it to the community of devotees for your input and pleasure. Your servant, Raghunatha Anudasa
Economics:
The Hand of God
Economics through the eyes of virtue
A social system based upon virtue makes for the best economic policy. The economic consequences of "vice," such as drinking and smoking, are grave. They are presently subsidized by the virtuous - those who do not partake in these vices. This system is sapping the wealth and life of the world. Reversing this "backwards" system is the means to real prosperity. In short, the cost of vice should be born by its performer. By the same token, the virtuous should be rewarded for their contributions. This system is referred herein as ROOPA: (economic) Responsibility Of One's Products & Actions.
Remarkably, this re-creates a socioeconomic model very much like Varna-Asrama Dharma - the social system of the Vedas. Varna-Asrama provides a superb "template" for such a system. The following shows how this may work. More importantly, this provides a needed forum for a new kind of political dialogue. By Raghunatha Anudas 10
The Vedic Cultural Association
213/ 969-4727 PO Box 1467 Culver City CA 90232
INDEX
Introduction
RROOPA
Smoking: The $10 Trillion Tax Chapter 1
Breaking the Spell Responsibility For Cost: Real Democracy Ch 2
The True Costs of Production Ch 3
The myth of Over Population
Discarding Mom, The Mother of All Sins Ch 5
Mother's Lib, The Family Franchise Ch 6
The Real Matriarchal Society
Our Child: God's Retirement Plan Ch 7
Reinvesting in Virtue: Real Capitalism Ch 8
Love of God, Mother of ALL Virtues Ch 9
Varna-Asrama Dharma, Ch 10
Most Cost Effective Social System
Conspiracies: Modus Operandi
Mother: Guardian of Society Ch 11
Destroy Mother, Crush Society
Media: Weapon of Illusion Ch 12
Divide & Conquer: Policies of Dissention Ch 13
The monopoly of Processed Goods Ch 14
The Global Economy: 90's Colonialism Ch 15
Christianity: The Last Defense Ch 16
Who Are They? Ch 17
Counter Policies: Fill the Vacuum
"The Principles of Freedom" Ch 18
Bartering: monopoly & Inflation Proof $ Ch 19
Real power "One for all & All for one" Ch 20
Not this body, Spirit Soul: Ch 21
The Ultimate Weapon
Lessons For Us Ch 22
The American Shopping Party Ch 23
Starting Today Ch 24
Members - "Rupa-nugas"
August 98 September
Ron Wolfson, Mahamantra
Introduction
Years ago, we set out for answers to the social ills of our time. This led us to an interesting discovery. We ended up uncovering the ancient virtues of the sages of yore. It was a little humbling to find ourselves ending right where our forefathers told us to begin. "Virtue." Hmm! This time, however, we have found its relevancy. It appears to be the missing link between two great but separate worlds. In one, God and morality. In the other, the economic imperatives of our modern times. The virtues of our forefathers may serve to bridge the seeming gulf of difference between them. Though this may be getting a little optimistic, it does present a magnificent reference point to begin such an undertaking. It answers questions about our social ills with alternatives as intriguing as they are relevant. We have therefore packaged virtue as a formal, social policy. It is referred to here as "ROOPA: Responsibility Of Ones Products & Actions." Pronounced roopa. This will be further explained later. For now, know that this is the juncture from where we begin the next leg of our journey.
Good and Bad. Right and wrong. God and morality. We hear these mentioned during political campaigns and public speaches. But these considerations are left at the door of today's economic and political policies. Morality is much like God. Both are viewed as so vague as to mean most anything. So personal as to be entirely subjective. There seems no common reference or office of authority. What provable science is there to settle the "irreconcilable" differences of their many advocates? Morality is more a philosophy and life style, an art form; than science. There is little room for such exotic considerations in a modern world of science & technology. It's a new world of an educated people, run not by "superstition," but by the rule of the global economy.
What if morality could be measured by a reputable yardstick? This would resurrect morality as a legitimate science. We may have found that yardstick in economics. What if good, like bad, always has a clearly defined economic outcome? Good, of course, would mean its activities have benefits that equal "a good economic outcome." Conversely, bad has repercussions that will always prove to have "a bad economic outcome." If true, economics would then prove a verifiable measure of morality. In short, this recasts economics as the science of morality.
The system is rather simple to test. The virtue of a good deed is figured by noting the monetary value of its long term benefits. Greater the virtue, greater its economic value.
Love is the blossom of all virtues.
Virtues are the fragrance of love.
The greatest expression of virtue is love. Interestingly, the virtue of love also delivers the highest economic returns. A mothers love is great indeed. The economic value of her work is correspondingly as great. Chapter 4, "Discarding Mom, The Mother of All Sins," demonstrates the value of a mother's work to be worth more then 5 million dollars. This is how much it costs if others are hired to provide the same service as a simple, loving mom. Such is the economics of love. Mom is really worth more then any CEO; for all CEOs are only one of mother's many gifts to the world.
By this same model, "love of God" renders the greatest economic benefit of all. A saintly person - your local "preacher," provide millions worth of economic benefit upon reverting people to the ways of virtue. Society saves $2 million per person giving up the vices of smoking, drinking, etc. If true, it is fair to then reason that love of God is the greatest love of all. Love of God is referred to in the ancient Sanskrit text of India as bhakti. The rare soul of such love for God is called bhakta. We refer here to their socioeconomic role and contribution as bhakta ROOPA. Bhakta ROOPA exemplifies our highest economic ideal. We present Bhakta ROOPA as the secret to the ever elusive utopian society. In short, a society founded in love of God is the most prosperous society of all. This is all discussed in Chapter 8,"Love of God, Mother of ALL Virtues."
One can similarly measure just how "bad" a vice maybe. Simply tally the long term cost of its consequences. The most grievous "bad" of course is love betrayed. The numbers bear this out. Greater the betrayal, greater the expense.
What remains to be the biggest economic burden of all? Guess! Meat-eating, intoxication, gambling and promiscuous sex. When combined, these vices are more comparable to economic hemorrhaging then a burden. They bleed society dry of its good fortune, quickly and completely. They should be viewed together in one picture. Then one better appreciates the devastation. ROOPA gives a birds- eye view of this picture. Its a heart wrenching portrait of waste, misery and a people crushed of body, heart and soul.
When combined, these vices seemed transformed into the very person of Kali. Evil. Vice then appears more a wicked form of voodoo. A black magic. Witness those who pursue it whole-heartedly. We call them addicts. Vice reduces such victims to an empty shell. The body drained of vitality, the heart of feeling and the soul of spirit. A being without body, heart or soul. The living dead. Zombies. See all the lives ruined along with the countries wherein they live. If ever there was a conspiracy, this would be the weapon of choice. Few military campaigns could ever prove as far reaching, more insidious or so efficient a "Terminator" then a people hooked upon the devouring addictions of vice.
Less dramatic but more revealing, vice also proves prohibitively expensive. Most can ill afford its true cost when paid up-front and in full. The following chapters give a series of examples. The claims are referenced with the likes of Newsweek, LA Times and college text books. Smoking is one of many case studies. Its covered in Chapter 1: "Smoking: The $10 Trillion tax." Annually, it comes to $2,500 in tobacco related medical cost per smoker. This totals $160,000 over the course of 64 years of smoking out of a smokers 75 year life span. It's $1.10 per cigarette. $22 per pack. Smokers don't pay anything close to this at today's retail price of $3 a pack. The rest of us pay it for them. This does not assess related expenses otherwise included in your average law suit. Punitive damages being one. "Morbidity" or lost time, wages and loved ones being another. It's $2 trillion in undisputed combined "medical" cost or $450 per pack of cigarettes. $4 trillion in "morbidity" cost - $1,000 per pack. And $12 trillion in potential cost or $3,000 per pack. This is a whooping $300,000 per smoker. You may have gotten lost in all these trillions. Here's what it means - "a whole lot of money." Entire economic regions lay waste in the scorch of tobaccos path. ROOPA merely takes all these expenses and passes them on to cigarette companies. ROOPA is simple, fair and good economics.
"Stiffing" non-smokers for these damages is representative of a system that's as unjust as it is inept. Today's system subsidizes these hefty costs by raiding the wealth created by the virtuous - or those who do not partake in these vices. Working tax-payers, for example, cover these costs with higher taxes and health care premiums. Diligent home-makers tend to their ailing families - worth thousands if offered by a professional. We all share the loss of bread-earners, loved ones and brethren. ROOPA merely reverses this "backwards" system. ROOPA holds smokers responsible for these expenses. People should cover the costs of their own vices. Not you and me.
What is that cost: about 2 million dollars per person engaged in smoking, drinking, meat eating, gambling and illicit sex. A family of four cost society $8 million. We can care for 20,000 people for an entire year (at $400 each) in any 3rd world country for the price of just one family engaged in these vices. ROOPA demonstrates that 3rd World families are the one paying the greatest price for this vice. This exposes "The Myth of Over Population." Here lies the real culprit of global consumption. Vice. Today, we demand that vice pay its share - in full.
It is revealing that a civilization that boasts so grandly and condemns others so broadly should miss such basic and obvious a principle. Fortunately, the simple logic of this is gradually finding its way into legal precedents. Multi-state law suits against tobacco companies to parental fines for a child's vandalism. These are only a few examples to the growing demand for economic accountability.
These kinds of social policies are well under way. They have set into motion the leading trends of today's social reforms. Their natural progression towards a system like ROOPA is now inevitable. ROOPA is not an economic theory. It is already widely practiced with such effect as to be tried to an ever growing roster of social issues. They do, however, have draw-backs. For one, their approach is sporadic and disjointed. Secondly, they are only clumsily instituted. ROOPA redresses this by articulating this principle into a uniformed policy. ROOPA supplements this with practical demonstrations how it may apply to any number of situations.
ROOPA begins with the most grievous situations such as the obvious vices of smoking and drinking before moving on to examine other areas of today's society. For example, ROOPA reveals the true cost of modern manufacturing and agricultural production to be inefficient to the point of obsurdity. A single pound of grain or gallon of gas actually cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars when including the
tab of repairs' for all of modern industries environment damages. The agrarian based, cottage industry really proves A THOUSAND TIMES more "cost effective" then modern industry held to bare its true cost in environmental damages. All the wizardry of modern production proves useless against instant collapse without today's massive infusions of "environmental subsidies." The ox driven, family run "farmers market" of cottage industry and self sufficiency would crush modern production in a true "free market system." It's against these revelations that ROOPA allows us to re-evaluate our entire way of doing things and the things we do as a modernsociety.
200 years ago, American's demanded: "No taxation without representation." Today, we demand a tax system that accounts for the economic impact of peoples actions upon the rest of us. Taxes should then be representative of both the cost and contributions people make to society. Let people take responsibility for their cost with higher taxes. By the same token, let them share the rewards of their contributions through commissions and lower taxes. In short, ROOPA: economic Responsibility Of Ones Products & Actions. "We want ROOPA. We want ROOPA." Well. OK. Maybe the phrase lacks the revolutionary ring of the Boston Tea Party's, but the demand is more important. The implications are far greater and the application far broader. It will define the course of not simply a country, but the world. This leaves us at a juncture. A choice. One of virtue and prosperity. The other, the growing vice and misery of today. To penalize is only a first step. ROOPA completes this process of social reform. ROOPA rewards you a share of the wealth produced of your efforts. For example, the money taken to cover a smokers cost will instead be reinvested in the non-smoker who provided it.
There are other examples. For workers, this would mean $50,000 a year. This is covered in Chapter 3, "The True Costs of Production." Mothers of the world will finally get their due: hundreds of thousands. Teachers and employers make millions as "Community Investors." $1 to $100 per month, per child, for life. Preachers earn against the millions saved reverting people to the ways of virtue. This is all described in Chapter 5, "Mother's Lib, The Family Franchise."
A system that returns a share of the profits to those creating it is "sound business." It's a simple policy of reinvesting in those of us creating the wealth. It's what real capitalism is all about. This is in contrast to the grossly subsidized "global free market capitalism" of today: Chapter 8 "Reinvesting In Virtue: Real Capitalism"
The natural outcome of this arrangement is a life style and social system similar to those recommended by "religion." Its a life-style of sobriety, chastity and a diligence to family. Its a social system founded upon the love of mother earth, nature, cow and mom. This life of virtue is the one most affordable to the common man and the one most economically rewarding to all. Virtue is not so much a sacrifice as it is a secret to real prosperity. The Vedic scriptural texts of India provides a detailed model for this very system. The Veda's refer to it as Varna-Asrama Dharma. Varna-Asrama Dharma provides something akin to a social template. It has been invaluable in organizing these ideas. Varna-Asrama Dharma is in fact the basis for much of this work. I have taken it from my school days in India some couple of decades ago. This work is the natural progression of my childhood training. Its a testament of the new perspectives to be bred from such cross cultural experience. It demonstrates the scope of considerations to be inspired by the tenets of Eastern thought. And it lends validity to a system founded upon God. All this has culminated into one simple conclusion. Virtue - as with Varnasrama Dharma, provides the most "cost effective" social, economic system. It is not "an alternative." It's the "only alternative" to beating the perils of the day. Anything less only compensates this corruption of vice. It need be corrected - for good.
To recognize a correlation between morality and economics leaves one to wonder. It's as if one is rewarded with a bonus for good behavior and "fined" for their violations. Welcome to "Economics: The hand of God." An invisible but unmistakable law. As invisible, and exacting, as a law of nature. God has his way. Invisible. Unmistakable. Yet deniable. And for those willing to see - undeniable.
The following chapters illustrate the kinds of policy considerations this economic model gives rise to: Morality grounded in science. Economics guided by virtue. Love honored as formal economic policy. A new paradigm to the tenants of "global free market capitalism."
"Global Free Market Capitalism" appears gallant in the face of fascism and communism. Once judged upon its own merit, however, it appears far less noble. The fall of the USSR has left capitalism as the last remaining global system. Capitalism has since dictated global, economic policy with little opposition. Yet, the people of the ex-communist countries, as with the world; suffer far greater famine, war and poverty then ever before. Their plight is vastly more severe then a decade ago under communist "oppression." The disintegration of Russia. "The Asian Crisis." Mexico's collapse. South America. Every continent. Every country. A greater number live in greater poverty then ever before. Is "global free-market capitalism" really the best economic model? Or even better then the others? Capitalism cannot be held responsible for all these problems. But it's liable for most.
70% to 80% of all the world's people now live in varying degrees of poverty. Should we wait until it reaches 90%? How many must be sacrificed before we recognize it a failure for all but a select few. Today's economic system fails 80% of the time. At our present rate, it may reach well into 90%. Soon. What kind of record is this? Failure! We won't even keep a toaster that burns our toast just 20% of time. Why do we hang on to this present system? Is it we feel there is no alternatives? We must think again.
Global capitalism asks for more time. So did communism. "Transition." That's what they call it. Yet, things will only get worse. For everyone. Not better. And for a long time to come. Check all the estimates. Even Wall Street finally admits it. In the mean time, millions more "fall" into the crushing jaws of poverty. Not less. This stands as true for America, Europe and Japan as it does for the "third world countries." How many thousands of American families join the ranks of homeless? How many tens of millions have a standard of living half the American middle class of just 20 years ago? And yet, we work so very much harder. The supra-wealthy, of course, are richer. Much, much richer.
Are these gross inequities really just a small step to a new golden age of prosperity as Wall Street insists? A temporary "market correction" as they say. Is it really worth the price? Ask the starving "billions." Is it a permanent quirk of capitalism as the communist insist? Something like a fatal side-effect. Or worse. Is this really the disintegration of the entire global economy as many others so fiercely proclaim? No mater how one cuts this pie, one thing remains clear. We must re-think this system. Look at all our options. Reforms. New alternatives. Something.
Herein lies the aim and urgency with which we present ROOPA. Finding some theological correlation to economics is secondary. ROOPA provides an intriguing idea. A worthy pursuit. And maybe never before more pressing then today. If not the final answer, then certainly an important step towards a better world. One step for virtue. One large step for Godkind. This is progress. A step we need make together. And soon. Will you join US? Today. Then welcome aboard. This is the voyage in search of a "New World." A world founded in the true prosperity of virtue - Bhakta ROOPA
In service to my spiritual master,
Raghunatha Anudas
Dedicated to my beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, on his Vyasa-puja (birthday). Aug. 15, 1998. This work is founded upon his teachings. Inspired by his preaching. May we change for a better world as he so equipped us and in return so demands. It's as simple as honoring our own virtue as he did in every step. As challenging as facing the demons of our own vices. Oh Lord, please help us. Srila Prabhupada please kindly guide us. For without you, where would we be. For with thee, lies the key to the new world of Lord.
This is the introduction to a 40 chapter book. The first chapter is already finished. I will complete a chapter every week or so. They will be sent as monthly newsletters. The final draft will have all the claims referenced. I have 3 filing cabinets of more then a 1,000 articles, collected over 5 years and saved for this very purpose. I have been attending Santa Monica College as a Political Science major for a year now and have maintained a B average. This book is the culmination of these efforts.
This book will provoke a new kind of political dialogue. This first draft is simply a template for assembling our ideas. We can formalize these discussions by forming an organization. Such an organization provides us with a political identity. We can then present our positions as an official political platform. Creating such an organization is as easy as you signing on as a member. Please come, sign on with us. Its just $20.
How often have you wished for a political platform that represented your own values. How many of us have given up hope that such a reform movement was even possible? This finally gives us the chance to create one of our very own. Its ours for just $20.
- Do you find these ideas interesting? Important?
- Would you like to see them further discussed?
- Would you like the books next installment?
Then join us. The $20 to VCA is tax deductible. We will add your name to our membership roster. Include your full name, home & e-mail address and phone #. Welcome aboard. You are now a ROOPA-nuga - follower of ROOPA. We are setting course for a new world. You are now one of its pioneers. Whatever you do, stay in touch. Your input helps to craft these ideas further. I look foreword to hearing from you.
Raghunatha Anudas (anudasa@aol.com)
The Vedic Cultural Association
213/ 969-4727 PO Box 1467 Culver City CA 90232
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